Environment and Natural Resources

During an exposure trip inside an open pit mining of a Canadian firm in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte. The company boasts that it has nothing to hide because they ensure environmental protection while exploring and developing the country's mineral resources, particularly gold and silver. Operating cost is P.5 million and at the end of the day, they produce gold and silver worth P6 million. they haul 8,000 tons of ore every day, digging from the 15-hectare pit which they identified as rich in gold and silver. For every 1 hectare of forest land, 16,000 tress must be cut down.

One of mining engineers hand over to Ambassador Nurtherland and Sec. Angelo Reyes a bar of mixed silver and gold during an exposure trip inside the Zambo plant of the Canadian-based mining company, TVI

The indigenous people, the royalty of the Subanon tribe in Siocon, or at least one group claiming to represent a tribe with 1,200 families, gets 1% of the mine's earning or P60,000 every day. They want more.

Indigenous People in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte talk to Canadian envoy Peter Sutherland about what they want and what they need from their new Canadian friends for them to do mining activities in their ancestral lands.

During a dialogue, I heard one elder asking for a personal computer. One asks for more schools and teachers and to help build another school for secondary level. One leader asks for more money. One leader asks to visit Canada to see how mining is done. Nobody asked for agreen card, thank God!